Combination storage, packaging and dispensing kit for separating needlework articles



Jan. 23, 1968 J. T. DIXON, SR 3,365,055

COMBINATION STORAGE, PACKAGING AND DISPENSING KIT FOR SEPARATING NEEDLEWORK ARTICLES Filed Sept. 25, 1966 INVENTOR: JAMES 7. D:xo-,Sz.

FMM.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,365,055 CGMBINATION STORAGE, PACKAGING AND DI PENSING KIT FOR SEPARATIN G NEEDLEWORK ARTICLES James T. Dixon, Sr., 5122 Pickett Cove Road, Memphis, Tenn. 38109 Filed Sept. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 581,545 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-16) ABSTRACT OF THE DISQLOSURE A kit for needlework articles, such as buttons, snap fasteners, needles, pins and thimbles, wherein a storage container has connected thereto an elongated flexible connector to which are secured respectively at spaced points along its length a plurality of article retaining devices. Each of the devices releasably confines a particular type of article, and one or more of the retaining devices may be removed from the container for examination of the contents thereof without disturbing the order of arrangement on the connector.

This invention relates to a combination packaging and dispensing kit for small needlework articles such as buttons, snap fasteners, needles, pins, thimbles and the like.

Heretofore, much inconvenience has been experienced in the use of conventional sewing kits designed for storing various types of needlework articles and accessories in separate groups according to kind. The usual type of such kits is provided with open compartments or trays in which the articles are loosely deposited and from which the seamstress makes the desired selection or selections. A proper selection of an article often requires the removal and comparison of several articles from as many trays thereby increasing the likelihood of mixing and upsetting the contents. Thus the extreme care which must be exercised to prevent a mishap in the use of conventional sewing kits has greatly reduced the efficiency of the user.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a kit for packaging and dispensing needlework articles and accessories wherein separate groups of spaced articles are serially interconnected by an elongated flexible connector such as a cord or chain and each group is removably confined in a package whereby the contents of any group may be examined individually without disturbing its order of arrangement with respect to the remaining groups.

It is another object of invention to provide a kit of the class described in which at least some of the serially interconnected groups of needlework articles are stored within a transparent container or holding means to facilitate ready identification of the desired group or groups by the user.

It is a further object of invention to provide a separator kit for needlework articles, which kit is compart, simple in construction, relatively inexpensive, more easily and efiiciently used, and practically spill-proof.

Some of the objects of invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of my improved combination packaging and dispensing sewing kit for needlework articles, showing the cover thereof in an opened position and also showing connected spaced groups of the articles in packaged stored position;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional plan view taken along line 22 in FIGURE 1, showing some of the groups in packaged stored position and other groups unstored and ready for dispensing, and

3,355,055 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 broadly denotes a needlework kit which comprises bottom 11, sidewalls 12, and cover 14 hingedly secured as at 15 to the upper edge of one of the sidewalls. Ribs 11a are provided on the lower surface of bottom 11 for holding the latter in spaced relation to a supporting surface.

A core or arbor 17 is fixedly secured upon bottom 11 by suitable means such as screws 18 or, if desired, by an adhesive, the inner opposed surfaces of core 17 and sidewalls 12 being spaced apart to provide an endless or substantially annular cavity 19 for the reception of the connected groups of needlework articles when in stored packaged position as hereinafter described. Likewise, the upper proximate edges of sidewall 12 and core 17 are spaced apart to provide a continuous perimetric access opening around the core.

Fixedly secured to core 17 as at 20 is a flexible connector member strand such as a cord or chain 21; and at spaced intervals along the length of member 21, suitable article holding means such as transparent containers 22 and spring wire retainers 23 are fastened. Each container 22 has a removable cover 22a thereon, whereas each retainer 23 is provided with a latch 23a for releasably confining buttons or other articles 25 thereon.

Although one end of flexible member 21 is attached to core 17 at point 20, the invention contemplates attachment of any point along the length of the flexible member to any point within the kit. Likewise, the holding means may be either in the form of containers 22 or spring Wire retainers 23, or both, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

In the stored packaged position shown in FIGURE 1, the flexible member 21 and the attached article holding means 22 and 23 are wound around core 17 and positioned within endless or annular space 19; and also, the free end of the flexible member is detachably secured to core 17 by suitable means such as ring 27 and hook 28. When it is desired to inspect one or more of the article holding means on the wound strand 21, the free end of the strand is removed from hook 28 and then Withdrawn axially rup wardly from the arbor and through said perimetric access opening.

In the partially unstored position shown in FIGURE 2, two of the holding means 23 and the connecting cord portion are removed from the core 17 and annular space 19 for examination and dispensing. It will be observed that one of the removed spring holders 23 has been unlatched as at 23:: and ready for the removal or dispensing of buttons 25.

The core or arbor 17 has a plurality of vertically disposed recesses or bores 29 therein, each of which is adapted to removably confine a container or holder 30 in which articles 25 are stored, said holder having a removable cover 31 thereon. Holder 30, as well as the portions 11, 12 and 14 of the kit, are preferably made of a transparent material to enable the user to more readily identify the contents within the holders.

It is thus seen that kit 10 keeps buttons and other needlework articles separated while the seamstress unwinds the flexible member 21 and spaced holders 22 and 23 to first locate the desired group or groups, and then dispense the articles from the selected groups, and finally replacing the groups in cavity 19, all without mixing the contents or disturbing the order of arrangement of the groups with respect to one another. Moreover, the above operation may be performed more rapidly than heretofore without mishap.

0 terms are employed these are used in a generic sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A combination storage, packaging and dispensing kit for needlework articles comprising a horizontally dis.- posed bottom, a centrally disposed fixed core extending upwardly from said bottom, a continuous perimetric sidewall extending upwardly from said bottom and in laterally spaced relation to said core to thereby provide a compartment U-shaped in cross-section, the upper edges of said wall and core being spaced to form a continuous perimetric access opening around the latter, a flexible strand anchored to the wall of said compartment, said anchored strand having a free end portion windable around said core and within said compartment, and means respectively attached at spaced points along the free end portion of said strand for releasably retaining separated groups of said articles, whereby the Wound free end portion of the strand and the attached retaining means may be Withdrawn axially upwardly from around the core and through said access opening.

2. A kit for needlework articles as defined in claim 1 wherein said strand is anchored to said core.

3. A kit for needlework articles as defined in claim 2 and further comprising means for releasably attaching the free end of said wound strand to the wall of said compartment.

References (Iited UNITED STATES PATENTS 103,012 5/1870 Button 20612 603,316 5/1898 Bush 206-47 1,214,750 2/1917 B'urtis 206-47 2,345,190 3/1944 Freund 206-47 1,608,325 11/1926 Lang 20672 2,125,856 8/1938 De Witt 22022 FOREIGN PATENTS 252,900 6/ 1926 Great Britain. 405,672 2/ 1934 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

THERON E. CONDON, Examiner.

I. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner. 

